


Useless

by a_salty_alto



Category: Avengers Assemble (Cartoon)
Genre: Established Relationship, Giant Squids, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-Season/Series 03, but no tentacle porn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-17
Packaged: 2018-11-15 05:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11224146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_salty_alto/pseuds/a_salty_alto
Summary: Steve and Tony both feel like they're not of much use to the other





	Useless

**Author's Note:**

> My first fanfic ever! Yay! Written for the Avengers Assemble Season 4 Countdown, and un-betad! All mistakes are my own.

 

One day, the Avengers have a particularly grueling fight against a giant fire-breathing squid. That also flies. No one on the team would be eating calamari any time soon. Steve isn’t able to talk to Tony the whole fight, simply because flaming cephalopods that sprouted from swamps proved to be  _ a little _ to random for Tony to give combat advice without constant updates, which are hard to give with flaming tentacles waving around and smacking everything in sight. After the fight,, Steve passes by the little cupcake shop in Brooklyn that he and Tony loved to visit, and it  _ should  _ make him happy, make him think of his dates with Tony, but it’s just a reminder that he can’t surprise Tony with his favorite batch. Steve can’t really do  _ anything  _  for Tony now.

 

That night, Steve can’t sleep. He’s no stranger to nightmares, especially ones about losing the  people he cared about, but now Tony isn’t there to hold him and let Steve fall asleep to the soft hum and faint glow of the Arc Reactor. 

 

Now his dreams are all about Tony, and they’re so much worse than his nightmares about Peggy, or Bucky, or the Howling Commandos, because in his dreams, Tony doesn’t get whisked away by magic and Steve has to fight him to defeat Ultron. Steve has to  _ kill  _ him to defeat Ultron, and Tony is always asking him,  _ begging  _  him to just finish it, to end Ultron once and for all. Steve isn’t sure if he does or he lets the world burn around them as he holds Tony close, because that’s when he wakes up. 

 

Steve’s gasping for air and trying to calm down when all of a sudden, Tony, because it could only be Tony, starts  _ singing _ to him. The tune’s soft and Steve is distantly aware that it isn’t in English, but all Steve can really think about is that, even trapped in another dimension, Tony is still trying to take care of him, while Steve can’t do anything to help bring him home. All Steve can do is talk with him about the weather.

 

As he let’s Tony’s singing lull him to a calm, dreamless, sleep, Steve wonders if he’s ever been this useless.

 

 

 

Even though he wasn’t around much, Howard had always been quick to remind Tony of one piece of advice: if you couldn’t make yourself useful, you were worthless. So Tony tries to make himself useful. He lets himself think that he’s being helpful whenever he talks about strategy with Natasha, or science and upgrades with Sam. He even lets himself believe his talks with Steve about his day or the weather serve  _ some  _ purpose.

 

He’s able to keep the lie going until the Spicy Calamari of Death attacks New York and Tony can’t do anything to really help. He’s supposed to be a genius, but he can’t figure out the best way to kill a giant squid. Instead, he just listens, and hopes that every time a member of the team grunts or cries out in pain that it isn’t serious or life-threatening. 

 

That night, he hears Steve toss and turn in his sleep, whispering to himself, and it’s like the shrapnel is moving back towards his heart. Steve, his lover, can’t sleep and Tony can’t do anything to help.

 

Eventually Tony starts singing. He doesn’t know why, he’s pretty sure that Steve can’t hear him anyway, and it’s just a little Italian lullaby his mother used to sing to him. Steve’s sleep steadies and Tony hears the Captain’s breathing even out. Tony stops singing, and waits. It’s not like he needs sleep anymore. In this place, when everyone else is asleep and he can’t talk to them, it feels like Tony has eternity to think of how useless he is.

 

 

 

 

The next morning, Steve wakes up earlier than the others and goes into the common area to make breakfast before going on his morning run. 

 

“Good morning Tony,” Steve says.

“Morning. How’d you sleep?” Tony replies, and Steve smiles fondly, even though he knows Tony can’t see it.

“Best sleep I’ve had in awhile. Thank you, by the way.”

“ For what?”

“The song.” 

“You don’t have to do that, Steve,“ Tony answers hesitantly.

“Do what?”

“Humour me like this. I know I can’t really do anything to help you guys from here. You don’t have to waste your time-”

“Tony. no,” Steve interrupts. He’ll never understand how, after all they’ve been through, Tony can think so little of himself. “I’m serious, you really are a big help.”

“Right, sure Steve,  just tell that to the giant squid. Has Clint named that yet?”

“No, and Tony, it really isn’t your fault that you can’t help with battles when we can’t tell you what’s going on.If either of us is useless, it’s me.” Steve sighs.

“Useless? Steve you’re fighting giant cephalopods and helping people!”

“Yeah, but I can’t help you. I don’t know anything about magic or technology, I can’t bring you home.” 

“Can’t help?” Tony laughs. “Steve, just you saying ‘good morning’ every day keeps me from going crazy. And hearing about all of you, and what’s going on back home, it’s perfect.”

 

There’s a pause for a bit, before Steve chuckles.

“Guess we were both worrying a bit too much.”

“Yeah, looks like.” 

 

They go back to their new normal routine, Steve going into extra detail about everything that’s been going on now that he knows a bit more just how much it means to Tony, when the call to Assemble goes out.

 

Before Steve leaves, they make plans to go to the cupcake shop, and the lovers share an unspoken promise. 

_ We’ll be together soon. _


End file.
